Improvement in water-wheels



J- ACAMPBELL 2 Slxeets-Sheet l.

l WATER WHEEL.

N0, 105,301. I' Patented July '12, 1870.

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WATER WHEEL.

Patented Julv 12. 1870.

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JAMES CAMPBELL, ROCHESTER, NEW YORK Letters Patent No. 105,301 ,I dated July 12, 1870.

IIVIPROVIEHMIENTl IN WATERfWHEELS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making panl of the same.

To all whom it muy concern:

-ing and closing the Vchute-gates.

Like ietters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

My invention consists in the arrangement of the gates in the chutes, and the apparatus for operating the same; also, in the method of adjusting the wheel proper higher or lower upon the spindle and, furthermore, in the construction of the casing, as hereinafter described. Y

In the drawing- A represents the casing or curb;

Il, the chute-chamber in the casing;

C, the water-wheel proper; and

D, the bridge-tree'orbearing upon which the waterwheel rests. t

The bridge-tree is provided with a flange, a, which rests upon the platform, and the base `of the casing projects down to meet it, leaving, thereby, the chutechamber elevated at some distance above the platform and projecting horizontally, as clearly shown in fig. 2, thus forming a dead space, b, beneath thechute-chaniber.

I claim an advantage in this arrangement, inasmuch as the chutes are thereby elevatedabove the door, so

that stones, sticks, and other impediments, may strike into the dead space b,- and be thereby prevented from passing into the chutes and choking the wheel. The working parts are also elevated, so that they may not become obstructed by mud and sedimeuttha-t gradu- 4ally gathers, and, also, 4so that' they may be reached to repair or clear out wit-hout removing the wheel fiom lace. h

p The chute-chamber is formed into a series of chutes, c c c, which direct the water in angularly upon the buckets (l d of the wheel. One side, f, of thc chutes is solid and fixed, but the other side is formed by gates or valves, g, turning upon axes, h, which open or close the gates as they are turned in one direction or the other.

At the rear of the gates'arc formed curved seats, i, in the wall, made concentric with the axes of the gates, so that the rear ends of the gates will always keep the water closed ont, and thereby cause it to pass forward to the wheel. v v

This arrangementof the concentric seats in the wall, in connection with independent gates situated in the chutes, so as to open or close at any one point independently ol' the-others, I believe to be new. The

concentric seats malte a perfect packing at the rear cud, while the gates themselves form .one-side of the chutes, and are capable of any desired degree of adjustmcnt to open or close the passage to the wheel.

At the bottom and top, in fig. 3,' the gates are shown open, while at the sides they are closed.

At their extremities, the seats i have angular lips v Aor flanges, j j, which turn inward, overlapping the edges of the gates 'when shut against them. By thus coveringfthe rear of the gates, the preponderance in` the pressure of the water is upon the inner end of' said gates when open, and upon the outer end when closed. Therefore, the tendency is to retain the gate stationary in either position, open or closed.

.lhe axes h h of the gates extend up through the topoi" the casing, and are provided with crank-arms, lt' 7:. On the ends of these -arms -are pins, ll, which rest in a groove, m, of a cogfring, E, which is driven by a pinion operated by hand-wheel, F.

The groove is provided with two oiisets, m m', Iig. 4, .situated opposite each other. .As the ring revolves, these offsets respectively strike the pins `l of one 'of the gates, and -throw the crank-arm k around to such a degree as to fully. open the lgate, when the odset cleans, still going onward, and leaves the gate fully open. The. odset then strikes the next successive gate and opens it, and so on till all are opened one after another. The use of the two offsets opens two gates at once, exactly opposite, so that only a halt' revolution of the cogfriug is necessary to open all'the. gates. "lhe number of otlsets mightbe increased or lessened as desired. The reverse movement will close the gates in the same way.

`This arrangement of .the cog-ringr with the' cam groove 'provided with the offset-s, and the crank-arms and pins, enables-me to open any'desired number of the gates in succession, whereby I am enabledA to exactly gauge the amount of water admitted to the wheel, to the work which isto be done; and, furthermore, .I open the gates just opposite each other, so that the wheel is perfectly balanced by the 'water en'- tering upon opposing sides. 4

I am aware that a series of gates opening bya simultaneous movement has before been used, but such is not the equivalent of my invention. I claim nothing vbut the arrangement of parts for producingthe above e'ect. Y

The cog-ring is kept in place bymeaus oi" small caps or shoulders, n n, held down byutits'fc'of,A Small rollers 11 p are also arranged on'the same bearing inside the cog-rim, to give the latter a free turning action. The cog-ring can be easily removed by taking oi the nuts. i

The body of the wheel proper is made convex, as shown, the taper extending downward. The front edges of the buckets are slanted outward, as shown at q, andthe outer corners turn upward, so as to give a downward tendency to the water to the inner angle, where it escapes with the least resistance, after having expended its full force upon the buckets. The shaft G of the wheel proper is ma'de hollow,`

and in this rests the solid spindle H, which turns upon the step r of the bridge-tree.

A key, I, rests crosswsc in the top of thc spindle, passing through a slot,` s, inthe hollow shaft.

This slot is made of such extent vertically `as to allow a degree of adjustment, up and dowm over the ends of the key.

0n top of the kcy rests a collar, K, which slips loosely over the outer shaft, having notches for' striking over the key to prevent turning.

The upper end of the outer shaft is provided with a screw-thread, t, on which screws a nut, L, that rests upon the collar K. By turning this nut down it will he sen that the effect will beto mise the outer shaft', and, consequently, the wheel O, since -the'nntacts as a leverpressing down upon the key as a fulcruln.

A small set-screw u, strikingupon a key, c, ol' the nut fixes the latter in place to the outer shaft in any desired position.

The object of the above-described an'angcment is,

to elevate the wheel to compensate for the wear of .the

spindle upon the sti-p. Were it not for some radjust ing arrangement, the wheel would soon grind in its case. Heretoforethis effect has usually been produced by a set-screw under the step, but such an anangement, from its position, is diiicultto operate. I car extend my spindle and outer hollow shaft to Aany height above the wheel, and produce the adjustment without difficulty. I do not claim, however, the position of the adjusting parts, but simply the arrangement of the parts for producing the adjustment, which Ibelieve to-be new.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The coggringE, provided with the groove m, and offsets m' m', when combined with the crank-arms k k, in suolra manner as to' set the gates in succession, one after another, as herein described.

2. The rollers p, caps n, and nuts 0, for retaining the cog-ring iu place and allowing its removal, as described. g

3. The seats i, in the wall of the chute-chamber, concentric to the ax'esgof the gates, when combined with the independently acting gates-g, situated in the chutes and forming one side thereof, as hereinV described.

4. The combination with thespindle H, and hollow shaft G of the key I, loose collar K, and screw-nut L, the whole so arranged as to produce a vertical adjustment of .the wheel at thetop of the spindle, as de-` scribed,

5. The combination of the vangular lips j, of the seats li, with the; gates g, serving to produce a preponderance of water upon the front or Vrear end of the gates as open or closed, as described.

6. The chute-chamber B, located at a distance above the platform flange a, and projecting horizontally to.

form a dead space, b, beneath, as herein described.

1n witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES CAMPBELL.

Witnesses:

R. F. Oseoon, GEO. W. MIATT. 

